The Greater Works Ministry

If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”

Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.”Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.

“Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”   John 14:7-14 NASB

The key to the “greater works” ministry that Jesus promised is our knowing Jesus and understanding how He did His works. Jesus asked: “Have you not known me, Philip?” Do we as a church know Jesus? From all appearances in today’s church in America we do not. We have substituted our programs for Jesus. Worst yet, we have substituted our gifts and anointings for Jesus. Jesus is even greater than these.

If we are willing to get to know Jesus in new and more intimate ways then we will begin to understand how He did His ministry. (Some evangelists and revivalists are content on knowing certan angels instead.) Jesus wants to teach us how to do ministry. We should do ministry the way He did ministry on the earth. Let us not forget that He emptied Himself before coming to the earth as a human being. He had to rely upon an anointing from the Holy Spirit to do His ministry. In fact, He went one step further that “Pentecostals” need to grasp. He relied upon the Father to do the ministry through Him. The Father directed Him. Jesus explained: “The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.”

Jesus wants to lead us to the Father. In fact, Jesus is the only one who can present us spotless before the Father. Then He wants to teach us how to listen to the Father.

There is a new generation of leaders that will grasp this message. But there are many prominent leaders in America that would rather rely upon their gifts instead. That way they can keep control of things. But revival will not come through them. Do we want revival? Do we want to obey the Father? Do we want the Father’s Kingdom or our kingdom? If we align ourselves and our ministries with the Father’s will then we can ask what we will. But there will be no glory for us. All the glory goes to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The Harvest is Ready

Acts 5:42 (NIV)

Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.

What was the secret of church growth in the Early Church? Obviously the focus of the Church was on the Gospel. That was the “church program.” The Church was continuously proclaiming and teaching the Gospel message. This was done in the temple courts. But this was also carried out from “house to house.”

Today’s church in America seems to be contained within the four walls of the church building. If the church is growing “numerically” the building eventually has to be expanded. If “successful” the church becomes a mega church. That is to say that the church building becomes “supersized.”

How does this model of church fit the great commission?

Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.  Mattew 28:18-20

“Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.   John 4:35

Now after this the Lord appointed seventy-two others, and sent them in pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come. And He was saying to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.“Go; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. “Carry no money belt, no bag, no shoes; and greet no one on the way. “Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house.’ “If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. “Stay in that house, eating and drinking what they give you; for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not keep moving from house to house. “Whatever city you enter and they receive you, eat what is set before you; and heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’   Luke 10:1-9

Revival in the Pentecostal Church Part II

We have said that God wants to do a new thing. But does He want to abandon everything that has gone before? Does He want to do something so bizarre just to prove that it is new? Probably not! Satan is the one who likes the bizarre; along with, perhaps, some self-appointed apostles.

Thus says the LORD,
“Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths,
Where the good way is, and walk in it;
And you will find rest for your souls.
But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ ”   Jeremiah 6:16

Jesus said that He did not come to destroy the Law but to fulfill it. He preached in the synagogue of His home town, using the appointed scriptures of the day (lectionary). He did not say the service was all wrong. But He did speak prophetically. He attempted to explain the Word that was read. He was God present in the forerunner of His Church. They did not want Him or what He had to say. They already had it together.

The worship service is honoring and worshiping God. It is also about evangelism. It is meant to strengthen the faithful, but also to reach out to the lost. It is about discipleship in the kingdom of heaven.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. “So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. “Have you understood all these things?” They said to Him, “Yes.” And Jesus said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”   Matthew 13:47-52

The old ways are not to be abandoned necessarily. That which is tried and found true should be embraced. What the Lord Jesus wants to do is breath new life into the established Godly foundation of the Church. He is the cornerstone of the foundation. Everything must be aligned with Him. We are not the cornerstone. Our programs are no substitute for His presence in the Church. Yet, our programs and methods, to which we cling so tightly, are taking His place.

What happens is that we try to duplicate past revivals. We try to copy certain worship services in the past that seemed to be anointed. But just as a vitamin pill is designed to offer the some of the same nourishment as real food, something is missing. We do not know enough to know exactly just what that is!

God does not duplicate. He creates. He is a full nourishment God. Let us let Jesus be free to be head of His Church. What could we lose? He certainly won’t do any worse, but the pharisees thought that he would. Are we the pharisees of our day? Spirit-filled pharisees?

This is what is going to happen. You are no longer going to major on the minors. You are not going to worry about the quality of the entertainment. You are going to allow time for worship to get into God’s presence. God may come with a still small voice at first. You are going to avoid always saying: “Let us give a loud handclap for the Lord” — when you know it is not for Him anyway. Get real and get humble before Him. Take time to honor Him in prayer and true worship. And do not preach your sermon. Preach a prophetic word that God has given you through prayer and fasting. Then, before any altar call ask Jesus to take over entirely. Be the first yourself to knell before that altar. Set an example.

What if Jesus does not show up? He said He would. “Wherever two or three or joined together in my name I will be in the midst of them.” Why not close the service with Holy Communion? He has promised to be present to us as we partake of His body and blood. The communion takes too long? No! What takes too long is the long self-aggrandizing sermon. But is takes preparation. We need prayer time to get things right beforehand. Yes, that is what revival is about.

How will the people know that Jesus showed up. They may be healed without a word from the pastor. There may be weeping and true repentance. There may not be any bizarre signs and wonders. If they do show up someone may need prayer for deliverance. Discernment is key. But first pray for discernment for yourself well ahead of the service. Do not fall in love with signs and wonders. Remember, Jesus is our first love.

Imagine the little child in the picture above is your church. Wouldn’t you prefer that Jesus conduct your worship and all other matters? He will direct you, pastor. Practice listening to Him.

May God bless this teaching and may Jesus take over your church. Amen.

Read Revival in the Pentecostal Church Part I

The Anointing Part 1

Now fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood opposite them at a distance, while the two of them stood by the Jordan. Elijah took his mantle and folded it together and struck the waters, and they were divided here and there, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please, let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.”He said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.” As they were going along and talking, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven. Elisha saw it and cried out, “My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw Elijah no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. He also took up the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and returned and stood by the bank of the Jordan.

He took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and struck the waters and said, “Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” And when he also had struck the waters, they were divided here and there; and Elisha crossed over.  2 Kings 2:7-14

Let us examine the anointing of Elisha compared to that of Elijah. Clearly, Elisha sought the power of Elijah. In fact, he sought a double portion of his power. But he did not seek God for this power. Rather, he sought Elijah. Nevertheless, from the scripture it is clear that there was some sort of transfer of power before Elijah was taken up in the whirlwind. But we are lead to wonder what type of relationship Elisha had with God based on the question that he asked: “Where is the God of Elijah.” We might wonder: “Who was the God of Elisha?”

Surely there is noting wrong with doing ministry under the power of the anointing. In fact, that is the way to do ministry. Elijah had a powerful anointing. We remember that he defeated all the prophets of Baal on the same day. Jesus had an anointing:

You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.  Acts 10:38

So what could be wrong with an anointing from God? We could ask this question a different way. Is it possible to misuse a gift from God? Let us examine one of the first acts of Elisha after he received his anointing:

Then he (Elisha) went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up by the way, young lads came out from the city and mocked him and said to him, “Go up, you baldhead; go up, you baldhead!” When he looked behind him and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the LORD. Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore up forty-two lads of their number. 2 Kings 2:23-24

It is clear that Elisha did not have the same character of Elijah even though he possessed a portion of Elijah’s anointing. A certain anointing is apparently transferable. But a Godly relationship and Godly character are not directly transferable.

Jesus foretold of a day when people would be looking everywhere for signs and wonders and the power of God:

And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:

Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.  Luke 17:20-21

People are seeking the power of God today, but are they seeking a deeper relationship with Him?

Read: The Anointng Part II